User Reviews

The men from UNCLE, Solo and Kuriyakin, are assigned to find fellow agent Robert Kingsley (played by Barry Sullivan), a senior figure at the organisation's Hong Kong office. His disappearance coincides with the kidnapping of several scientists from around the world - all of whom are experts in their field. Meanwhile, a senior American military officer, General Harmon (played by Leslie Nielsen) has upped and left his country without any explanation. Why? Solo and Kuriyakin receive a breakthrough when Professor David Garrow (played by Dan O' Herlihy), a leading geneticist agrees to allow himself to be kidnapped thus allowing UNCLE to trace him with a hidden homing device in a bid to solve the mystery. As expected, Garrow is kidnapped and Solo follows the signal to the Himalayas, but his plane is shot down. He parachutes to safety, but is soon taken prisoner. It transpires that Kingsley, with the help of a German scientist called Dr. Erickson (played by Albert Paulsen), is behind the kidnappings. And, from his base in the Himalayas, is using the combined expertise of the scientists to take over the world - supposedly with the aim of saving mankind from self-destruction. Unknown to Kingsley, his beloved wife Margitta (played by Eleanor Parker), has been financing his operations with the help of THRUSH agent Mr. Webb (played by Mark Richman) and both plan to take over the project for their own ends. Meanwhile, Kuriyakin and Professor Garrow's son, Steve (played by Tony Bill), who is engaged to Dr Erickson's daughter Anna (played by Inger Stratton), locate the wreckage of Solo's plane. However, they too find themselves trapped in the Himalayas without any means of communication after their helicopter is destroyed by one of Kingsley's missiles. They conclude that Solo and the enemy must be close by and set out to find them. But, there is danger at every turn...

Part one of the two-part story that brought this much loved 1960's spy series to an end. It was released in cinemas outside of America as the spin off movie How To Steal The World. It has the aura of all concerned knowing that the end was nigh for the show and were almost, if not quite, just going through the motions. It has very little humour and the chemistry between Robert Vaughn and David McCallam as Solo and Kuriyakin is no longer there. The Himalayan setting is all too clearly studio bound with unconvincing matte paintings making do for the bad guy's lair in some shots. There are some interesting names amongst the guest stars, notably Leslie Nielsen (The Naked Gun), as General Harmon, a ruthless, renegade military man. He is prepared to stop at nothing to achieve his ends. This puts him at odds with his boss, Robert Kingsley, an ex-UNCLE chief, who resents killing and violence and is totally convinced that his plan will save the world from self-destruction. Yet, he is unable to see that he is just as insane as he is. The film is snappily edited and directed with pace by Sutton Roley, one of the better latecomers to the series, who does his best with the unpromising material. He stages the build up sufficiently to keep an audience interested enough to wait for the second and concluding part of this adventure.

Norman Hudis 'The Seven Wonders Of The World Affair' was originally planned as a one-off episode, but with cancellation looming executive producer Norman Felton decided to expand it into a two-parter so as to be able to have one more feature film to play in Britain and Europe. The result was called 'How To Steal The World'. Solo and Kuryakin are in Macao, on the trail of THRUSH agent 'Webb' ( Mark Richman ) who has been using a charity organisation as a front. With the aid of the beautiful 'Margitta' ( Eleanor Parker ), he escapes. Margitta's husband, 'Robert Kingsley' ( Barry Sullivan ), is UNCLE's no.4 man in Hong Kong. Or rather was. He has disappeared. A clue is found in his desk - a capsule containing a docility gas. Kingsley is holed up at a secret base in the Himalayas, and begins recruiting scientists - his 'seven intellectual wonders of the world' - for a project to end the war between good and evil once and for all in favour of good. He plans to unleash the gas, turning everyone on the planet into obedient slaves. Solo and Kuryakin are assigned to find him. There is a touch of 'The Prisoner' here as the abducted scientists keep waking up in replicas of their homes. When 'Anna Erikson' ( Inger Stratton ), daughter of 'Dr.Kurt Erikson' ( Albert Paulson ) boards a boat, the men from UNCLE follow, only to have their car crushed and their helicopter shot at as it gives chase. Later, they wake up to find the vessel deserted, and have to radio Waverly for assistance. There is an amusing scene as the tetchy UNCLE chief exclaims: "A sea-plane? Of course! That's what I'm here for!".

Sutton Roley directed Season 4's fine opener 'The Summit Five Affair'. He had a distinctive, arty style that livened up many television shows of that period, including 'Lost In Space' and 'Mission: Impossible'. My favourite shot is of Kingsley seated a long way away at the head of a table while a giant-sized telephone dominates the screen. The story does look stretched; it takes a while to get going - there is quite a bit of padding including some implied sex between Webb and Margitta - but when it does it is great. The first sighting of Leslie 'Airplane!' Nielsen as 'General Maximillian Harmon' raises an unintended laugh - you half-expect him to say 'don't call me Shirley!'. Kingsley has a base in a snow-free region in the Himalayas that looks like a Las Vegas hotel during an off-season. He must be a vain sort of chap as his initials are everywhere. Having traced 'Dr.Garrow' ( Dan O'Herlihy ) to the base, Solo and then Kuryakin follow him. The former is shot down and has to bail out by parachute, while the latter - accompanied by Yarrow's son 'Steve' ( future film producer Tony Bill ) - watch as their helicopter is destroyed not long after they have landed. As the Russian observes, at least they know they are on the right track. To be continued...